The Evolving Universe

Smithsonian Institution

Hubble Ultra Deep Field

HUDF image

Credit: NASA/ESA/STScI/HUDF Team

Observers: Steve Beckwith, Bahram Mobasher, Massimo Stiavelli, Anton Koekemoer

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Imagine looking at the universe through a drinking straw. Astronomers observed a very small dark patch of the night sky to detect light from over 10,000 of the earliest galaxies every found. The light from these galaxies has travelled anywhere from one billion to 13 billion light years and is very dim. This image is the result of an exposure lasting 1 million seconds - or 11.6 days.

  • Distance from Earth: 1 to 13 billion light years
  • Size: 1 to 5 million light years
  • Telescope: Hubble
  • Light: Visible